The present invention relates generally to musical instruments of the lute family (both electric and acoustic). In particular, the invention is a Capo which may be moved from place to place on the neck of a lute family instrument by merely sliding the Capo along the neck.
A Capo is a device for clamping the strings of a guitar or other stringed lute family instrument against the neck of the instrument in order to change the pitch of notes played. In the past, most Capos have involved screws, cams, and spring loaded clamps for attaching the device to the instrument neck. Spring loaded clamps have become popular because they can be opened and moved to a new position with one hand. However, one problem with prior art spring loaded Capos is that they require the musician to release and manipulate the Capo in order to change its location, and are hence relatively inconvenient to use, particularly during a performance.
Sliding type Capos also have been known in the prior art, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,621,558 and 5,033,349, however these Capos have alignment as well as other problems. In the '558 and '349 Capos, for example, the Capo can easily turn with respect to the instrument neck and/or jam. During a performance, artists should not be distracted by the necessity of using care when moving a Capo. Additionally, prior art Capos intended to be used with curved fingerboards, e.g., the '558 patent, have a roller which is of non-uniform diameter, giving an unsightly appearance.